1933 ASC Convertible - American Speed

The term “hot rod” means many things to many people, but you could probably add a photo of Richard Walpole’s ’33 Ford convertible to the Wikipedia page to help folks learn what a hot rod should look like. At 70 years old, Richard has had a lifelong desire to own a highboy, so when it was the right time he turned to a friend in the business, Doug Jerger of Squeeg’s Kustoms.

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If the Squeeg name sounds familiar, it should. Doug’s dad, whose history goes back to when his own ride was featured in the May ’62 issue of Hot Rod, has been known as Squeeg since he opened up his shop in 1964, and he has had a long, colorful career as one of the best painters in the country.

3/10The traditional look extends to the interior, too, after Gabe Lopez laid out buffalo hide over the custom bench seat he made. Red square-weave carpet is used below, and a ’40s-type steering wheel and column came from Juliano’s. Up on the dash Squeeg’s added a Lobeck gauge panel that includes an insert made out of abalone shell. The gauges are Classic Instruments, and a stereo system based on an iPod was installed by Brian Cline. Despite being a convertible, there is an A/C system that uses a Vintage Air compressor and custom ducts by Squeeg’s.

Doug has taken over running the shop and moved it from Mesa to a large facility in Chandler, Arizona, and started churning out some amazing cars. The most well-known of these vehicles would have to be the winner of the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster award in 2011—Daryl Wolfswinkel’s ultra-black ’34 Ford roadster. But a couple of years ago Squeeg’s also finished up a gold pearl ’56 F-100 truck that was powered by a 600-inch, 700-plus horsepower Ford motor for Richard Walpole. They say the best way to gauge what kind of builder you are is if your customers come back more than once, and Richard was happy with his truck so he returned to Squeeg’s for a highboy.

Starting with a set of ASC ’rails, Doug Jerger turned to dirt track racer Terry Palmer to weld up the chassis before Squeeg’s assembled the rest of it using Pete and Jakes ladder bars with a chromed Currie 9-inch rear (3.50:1), chrome ’34 rear transverse springs, a 4-inch dropped Magnum axle, split ’bones, and a set of SO-CAL shocks both front and rear. Steering is handled by a Ford F-1 box, SO-CAL steering arms, and a ’40-style column from Juliano’s. Lincoln-type drum brakes are on each corner, and steel wheels, 16x4 and 16x7, are wrapped in Firestone rubber (4.00 and 7.00).

The major focal point of a traditional car is the engine, and Richard didn’t scrimp when he went to H&H Flatheads to have a potent Flattie assembled with a ’50 block, an SCTA 4.125-inch crank, a Winfield 3/4 cam, SCAT rods, and forged Ross Racing pistons. Navarro aluminum heads and 3x2 intake were also used and topped with a trio of chrome Stromberg 97 carbs and a set of finned aluminum air cleaners from OTB. MSD supplies the spark to the V-8, and the exhaust exits through a system fabbed by Joe Spovati. The drivetrain was complete when a 200R trans from Arizona Precision Transmission was installed along with a driveshaft from Inland Empire Driveshaft.

4/10The traditional look extends to the interior, too, after Gabe Lopez laid out buffalo hide over the custom bench seat he made. Red square-weave carpet is used below, and a ’40s-type steering wheel and column came from Juliano’s. Up on the dash Squeeg’s added a Lobeck gauge panel that includes an insert made out of abalone shell. The gauges are Classic Instruments, and a stereo system based on an iPod was installed by Brian Cline. Despite being a convertible, there is an A/C system that uses a Vintage Air compressor and custom ducts by Squeeg’s.

The body for the project came from ASC, and the hood is a Rootlieb item with a modified front lip (see photos) and louvered sides. The metalwork on the car was done by Doug’s dad, which included stretching the blisters under the hood sides and also modifying the driver side hood side for the F-1 steering arm. Moose, one of the painters at Squeeg’s Kustoms, squirted the custom blue mix using a PPG base and clearcoat over Squeeg’s own brand of primer. The chroming was done by two companies: Custom Chrome Plating and Royal Plating. To finish up the exterior, BLC headlamps (found at a swap meet) were added and ’40 Chevy taillights installed in the rear apron.

All that was left was the cockpit, and Doug turned to Gabe Lopez to create a custom bench seat that he covered in distressed buffalo hide. Lopez also laid out red square-weave carpet that complements the dark blue found on the car’s exterior. A Lobeck gauge cluster, inlaid with abalone shell, is filled with black-face Classic Instrument gauges and provides another unique facet to this car.

Richard’s car debuted at the 2012 Grand National Roadster Show, placed opposite last year’s winner on the other side of the 9-foot AMBR trophy, and it was a fitting location as the car looked like it belonged there. And that’s because, as Richard Walpole soon figured out after his F-100 was finished, Squeeg’s Kustom builds great cars.